1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to gastrointestinal and enteric (including biliary) anastomoses and the like. The woven tube of wire of the invention is a three dimensional structure wherein the outer loops or ends of the woven tube fold or loop back in a manner which holds the luminal interface of the anastomotic site into apposition at the deployment site. The woven tube, depending on material utilized, could either hold the lumen walls in apposition as a permanent fixture eventually incased by scar tissue or remain in place temporarily until sufficient healing occurs between the walls of the intestine, for example, at which time the anastomotic device sloughs from the intestine and is safely passed, leaving a properly functioning anastomosis.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surgical procedures often require the joining (anastamosis) of two vessels or hollow vicera. For example, a permanent anastomosis between the stomach and intestine may be required in the performance of gastric bypass surgery for the morbidly obese as well as to alleviate blockage in the common bile duct by draining bile from the duct to the small intestine during surgery for pancreatic cancer. Surgical anastomosis generally involves manual suturing of the two structures. This process can be technically demanding and time consuming. This complex surgical procedure is even more challenging during minimally invasive surgery (MIS) where the surgeon is required to use instruments that are poorly designed for this task.